TATTERSALLS CLUB.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 609, 11 September 1909, Page 13

TATTERSALLS CLUB.

THE RACING CLUB AND THE BOOK. MAK^n,

: . COMMENTS AND EXPLANATIONS. ./There litis .'been, much comment on' tho presence. of Ministers of '.the; Crown 'at the recent' ■opening of Tattersalls Club in Wellington. Perhaps •{ it .was;- the .'presence"' of,;. the ; politicians which .obscured;from similar comment tho fact | .that tho I president of -tho; Wellington .Racing j Club .was lUsq / This fact is. referred to : by the;".\Vellington' correspondent './of . the Christclyirch:"Evening News'*, as follows:—: ;..thdt- 'Mr. 'Harcourt, president ; of the Wellington liaciiig Club, attended tho official- ;opining of tho Tattcrsaila Club on Mon,qa.y i.night, has been the.subject of a good'deali ufcbmmeht .'amongst the officials of the Welling;ton.EaoiugiClub,. '• ..It is. staifd on 'the .best', authority-that certain prominent 1 members are bitterly incensed, and that one member, who bad riomiiiited. Mr.: Harcourt for. re-election. as president,' nas threatened,' if not actually' rc« quested, the : withdrawal 'of his " nomination/' Matters are further complicated by tho .'an-1 nomicem^nt,that, Mr. 0. S.-Watkins (treasurer 'A• olhngtoii • Racing ; Club) is . treasurer of.tho lattownilg Giub.r 'It is known that Mr. ;fiarcpurt says he ; did not attend tho function. jA-.-hi* ; officii ;.capaQitvfiasr pr>^cjch,t:>i6.^rfr«io .Club, -but. jneroly.-,os: a. privato-citizenfl a #*}" f,'f° convey by his.remarks was that ; ;the.;clubs (as they; arc compelled *to WW'J-bp.QKnjakera; by. Act' .of. .Parliament)• starting' the' Tattersalls'.Club, havo' *J me .. guarantee • for- tho; repute ; ,si'n<l financial standing• of bookmakers. '.- At ' present ho con* ' tends . racing' ftjitlioritiesi havo /to'' tales boot' makers applications for licenses at faco .value. Jhoro: is not slightest: doubt that tho. rumpus which has been, raised will , start', tho gamMir." controversy anew,". ■ r I no.'clipping 'was submitted to' Mr. Ear-' :.^^«y,V.wKo;-«aid'ijt;;.vras' nil -"tommy.F°'j, '.friend' of .Col. 'Hume's, he: was invited to attond, and did so as. f>'private citizen, and., not, in any. oflioial capaoity. Somo years ago tho/'Racing .Club, whiQh had no control over- tho b'ookutnker,. while it held its meetings at the Hutt'Park (a public reserve) J resolved to: move to Trcntham . where!, it could .exercise sgms; control' 1 over: those elements/ it considered , detrimental .to -Sport. Tho club ' at an. •expense, of .some' formed a' now o< l u . r *, e .•rrontham.', :Thcn canio legislation' wiuch mado it compulsory 'on : tho part of .racing clubs ,■ toadmit "approved". bookmakers to tho course, on payment , of a; liconso - feo. That was. all; very'/ well, , but it did not give them any basis as to liolv to arHvo;at an "an-' J> ro r«l - bookmaker, and tho result was. that 'a 11 tho rag, '.tag,- and ,'bobtail' ! -from ' 'Australia ■oamo. iover- 1 to infest the grounds ' they had' ,inthorto been able";to keep,dear'of such undesirables. ; Ag far as he .'could gather,-Tatlorsalls ... wns ru n by, a ctvumittoe, the members of wliieir were not bookmakers, aiid who had a laudable 'desire to/raise the: standard of the bookmakers as far as .possible; Tlicy had to nave bookmakers—the Government said Why not have the. best, thev could get. This Vas. what Tottersi lis aimed ■. at,* und to. bo a member would be a good stan- ' j °? - W W }? ba?e an interpretation of the' ■ VO l a PPi'oyed as applied' to bookmakers: • AS > to .tho ,reference to his nominator with- ■ drawing his Mr. Harcourt said there was nothing in it, as for as lio know, and lin .any case, .it was too late.' „, T f f '■*■}#?'?? . w « nls?"submitted to an official , Ki Club;, and a guarantoi for tho, Trentham/. investment. He said there' certainly was a .-very strong feeling antong the club officials-at Mr. 1 Harcourt's ? t .% opening of Tattersalls . Club, i bcol > ;«£fhti n ß tho bookmaker; for years, had gone to Treritham at enormous oxv i ra f ant * now the president of. the club lends his presence to the tunc- « Pi? inf ? rman t stated that ne.nad an idea that tho membership of Tatterfalls clubs/in other parts.of tho world consisted "PI 1 ' rMI sportsmen,, but tins, club bad,'assail knew, been founded by bookmakers, and ho for one did not think it should bo countenanced by JlinisteiN and thn president'of the Wellington' Kacinj Club, ■